It appears the Manitoba Junior Hockey League will schedule a few exhibition games to be played in Fort Frances prior to the upcoming season.
“We’re working on them [teams in the MJHL] coming down and playing some of their . . . games down here with teams that have some ex-Thunder players,” said Borderland Thunder general manager Brent Tookenay.
The MJHL held its annual draft over the weekend (no players among the 55 chosen were from Fort Frances) and it was at that meeting when league commissioner Kim Davis notified the 11 teams that if any of them were interested in playing exhibition games outside the province, they would need league approval.
So far, Davis has not been presented with any requests.
“At this point, the individual teams are exploring some different options and if that’s what they would like to do [schedule exhibition games in Fort Frances], then they would ask the league and the league would most likely give that approval.
“But at this point, nothing has been confirmed,” Davis stressed. Teams in the MJHL that have ex-Thunder players include the Southeast Blades, Selkirk Steelers, Waywayseecappo Wolverines, and the Winkler Flyers.
“If an individual team wants to have an exhibition game there, then they would work that out with the other team and go from there,” added Davis. “It’s not something the league would initiate.”
But it’s not like this is something new, either. The MJHL has played exhibition games here before, and the league is always supportive of allowing its teams to cross Manitoba’s borders to expose it to different audiences.
Because of the popularity of their exhibition games, and that they require only a minimal advertising effort, the MJHL’s exhibition schedule usually isn’t finalized until the end of summer.
“It may not be until later this summer, or it might be very soon,” said Davis.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
